Instructor: Shirley Reierson

When I was taking College Writing Strategies, I wasn't sure how much the class would help me in the future. This semester I am taking Comp 1120 (freshman composition), and if I hadn't taken the SSP writing class, I would have been very lost.

College Writing Strategies really helped me learn things like how to cite sources. This is something that your comp professions just expect you to know.

Also, Shirley helped me understand more of the language that comp teachers use. She used and explained words I hadn't heard before, and those words are the vocabulary that all composition teachers use.

These may sound like very simple things, but I am very glad I learned them before walking into freshmen comp.

Another former student's description:
"A Jumpstart into College Writing"

During the first semester at UMD, I was enrolled in College Writing Strategies course, SSP 1052. At first, I felt as if I didn't belong in the class because I thought I knew how to write papers well.

However, it was not long before I realized that even though my papers were well written and even though I knew plenty of the English language, the SSP writing class would help me achieve excellence.

The class prepared me well for Comp 1120 (freshman composition), which would have proven rather difficult if I had not first learned to write at the college level. The SSP writing class was an excellent chance for me to get a jumpstart into college writing for any class.

It sincerely helped that the professor cared about the topic and showed it when she taught. She was a fun and energetic person who was rather carefree and easy going. She made a potentially less exciting class into a class I liked going to and participating in daily. Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent in the class and the lessons and teachings I took from it.

Incoming “first-years” should plan on taking College Writing Strategies. It is a class that helps bring down the stress while taking Comp 1120. Less stress means better scores, a higher GPA, and improved self-esteem.